James O’Brien

In what the NHL calls a “stupid and ignorant” display of racism, at least one fan threw a banana at black Philadelphia Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds during a shootout attempt tonight. Simmonds still managed to score on his attempt, although the Flyers ended up losing that preseason game to the Detroit Red Wings in front…

Despite hosting a Predators-Capitals game that was marred by shoddy ice conditions, the 1st Mariner Arena’s general manager isn’t just shooting for another preseason game. He also hopes to bring an NHL regular season game to Baltimore in the future.

Pierre–Luc Letourneau-Leblond will sit out the rest of the preseason (four games) and the Flames’ season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins because of his illegal hit from behind on Canucks forward Matt Clackson.

Gambling Web site Bodog tabs the Canucks to win the West, the Capitals to win the East and gives both teams equal odds to gain that elusive first Stanley Cup in 2012. Click “Read More” to see where the other 28 teams ranked according to odds makers.

Mike Modano reflects on his retirement decision, while former teammates such as Joe Nieuwendyk and Chris Osgood also share their thoughts on one of the best (and most important) American hockey players of all-time.

After an outstanding career in which he broke most of the all-time records for American born NHL players, Mike Modano announced his retirement via Facebook today. He’ll hold a press conference to make it official on Friday.

The Blue Jackets handed R.J. Umberger a five-year, $23.5 million extension today, adding the forward to a growing list of long-term commitments. Are they going in the right direction or setting themselves up for lengthy struggles?

Whether you measure a blueliner’s defensive ability by plus/minus or a more sophisticated metric, Jack Johnson hasn’t been very strong in his own end. Should the Kings expect that to change next season?

Sure, it was a preseason game, but that didn’t stop Winnipeg fans from creating a “playoff atmosphere” for the Jets’ glorious return. The Jets’ split squad smashed the Blue Jackets 6-1 in Winnipeg, which probably will be remembered a lot longer than the other half of their team losing 5-1 in Columbus.